Automobiles and other vehicles are often damaged in parking lot situations, when the door of one vehicle is opened and comes into contact with the side panel or door panel of an adjacent vehicle. The damage can include scratches, dents, and chipped paint. Such damage will reduce the aesthetic appearance of the automobile and render it more vulnerable to corrosion, reducing its resale value. Damage to the exterior surface is expensive to repair and may even require repainting to fix properly.
The present invention is directed toward protecting a user's vehicle from damage through the use of a removable protection device that acts to absorb the blow from a door of a neighboring vehicle. The device is easy to use, easy to store in a vehicle, and offers better protection than other devices through its unique shape and the depth of the device. Many attempts have been made to provide protection to the door of a vehicle. Examples are described below:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,695 teaches a vehicle impact protection device including an outer tube having a predetermined internal diameter and at least one inner tube having an external diameter of less than that of the outer tube. The inner tube or tubes are operative to be moved into and out from their respective outer tubes thereby forming telescopic means. There are at least two suspension means each being attached by an end thereof to the outer tube while an opposite free end thereof serves to secure the entire device to the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,583 teaches an automobile bump protector having a plurality of force-absorbing body portions with the body portions being flexibly joined together and being foldable relative to each other to form a compact package. The body portions in their unfolded state provide a side area having a length that covers the “bump area” of an automobile side panel and a width which is sufficient to shield the outward extremities of an automobile side panel from impact. The bump protector includes a plurality of hanger straps such that the body portions may be suspended in an unfolded state adjacent to an automobile side panel to shield the side panel from physical contact. Magnetic members are associated with each of the body portions and the magnetic members of adjacent body portions are positioned to provide mutual attraction between adjacent body portions when the body portions are folded together to form a compact package.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,685 teaches a flexible belt adapted to be located around the top edge, the outside, the bottom edge and inside of one of the side doors of a motor vehicle such that the door may be closed with the belt secured in place looped around the door. An elongated protective pad is secured to the belt at a position such that it may be located on the outside of the motor vehicle in a generally horizontal position when the belt is secured in place looped around the door.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,108 teaches a removable device for protecting parked automobile doors from dents, scuffs and scratches to its surface that may be caused by the doors of adjacent automobiles or other objects. The device consists of protective elements joined by a rope and mounted to the automobile by magnets. The device has a security tether which engages a locked door of an automobile to resist theft of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,009 teaches an automobile side protector for guarding both sides of an automobile against dents and scratches from adjacent automobile doors and other sources. The protector has a saddle band of sufficient length to pass over the top of an automobile. A pair of tabs extends inwardly from the saddle band and can be captured by the doors or windows of the automobile to be protected. Support bands extending downwardly from the saddle band hold one or more protective pads which extend along each side of the automobile.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,108 teaches a removable device for protecting parked automobile doors from dents, scuffs and scratches to its surface that may be caused by the doors of adjacent automobiles or other objects. The device consists of protective elements joined by a rope and mounted to the automobile by magnets. The device has a security tether which engages a locked door of an automobile to resist theft of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,527,320 teaches a foam guard system that attaches to the side and bumper areas of a parked vehicle to protect it from damage to paint and body. The guard is made of closed cell polyethylene foam supported by a supporting interior core and secured in place by means of sturdy flexible strapping extending over the door, fender, and/or bumper areas.
US Patent Application No. 20070108780 teaches an automatic side door protector comprising a protective pad and a support strap. The support strap is connected to the protective pad at one or more places. The protective pad may be divided into two or more segments which may be folded for compact storage. The automatic side door protector is installed on the vehicle to be protected by pinching the support strap either between a window and the window frame or between the door and the door frame. An enlarged end on the support strap helps to prevent the support strap from being pulled back through the closed window or door. The automatic side door protector is height adjustable by varying the length of the support strap that is pinched off by the window or door.
The present invention is easier to use than many other devices, as it is anchored to the vehicle at a single point using a strap. The strap is secured by passing it over the door frame, then shutting it between the doorframe and the roof of the vehicle. Alternately, the strap may be secured by passing it over a rolled-down window, then rolling up the window to clamp it between the window and the door frame. Other devices use multiple anchoring points, which have to be lined up with each other in order for the protective strip or pad to stay in the desired orientation.
The present invention has an advantage in that it can be deployed either from inside or outside of a vehicle; it can be anchored to the vehicle either between the door frame and the roof, or between the door frame and the window. With the other devices described above, it is assumed that the user places the device on the vehicle while standing outside of the vehicle. The present invention may also be deployed from outside of the vehicle, in which case it would preferably be anchored between the door frame and the roof. In cases of inclement weather, or where the user is waiting in the car for someone, or in any situation in which the user would rather spend as little time outside the vehicle as possible, he may want to deploy the device by rolling down the desired window, passing the device through the opening, and rolling the window back up to anchor the device strap between the doorframe and the window.
The present invention has a unique shape compared to other devices, in that has a flat surface such that it lies flat against the user's vehicle and a rounded surface that is presented to a neighboring vehicle. This adds stability to the position of the device on the vehicle, while yielding a larger protective depth against damage from neighboring vehicles than may be the case for other devices. In both embodiments disclosed herein, the present invention compresses to a compact shape, unlike bulkier pads or bumper strips that have been described above. Thus, the present invention can be more easily stored in a vehicle.
Various implements are known in the art, but fail to address all of the problems solved by the invention described herein. Two embodiments of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more detail herein below.